NIQUE & ACTUAL RENAISSANCE. 


FOLLOWING LECTURES WERE GIVEN 
THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS 


4 


— PALAIS DE FONTAINEBLEAU — 























at 





R. La MontaGne Saint-Hvusert 


THE ART 


OF 


FRESCO PAINTING 


PURE TECHNIQUE & ACTUAL RENAISSANCE 


THE FOLLOWING LECTURES WERE GIVEN 
AT THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS 
— PALAIS DE FONTAINEBLEAU — 


BY 


R. LA MONTAGNE St HUBERT 


LAUREAT D 





FREDERIC FAIRCHILD SHERMAN 
NEW- YORK 


1924 



















Ree bt es (RE (ARCH Lipm ew 
os) GETTY RESEARCH INe@tTEC em 











THe STUDIO OF FRESCO PAINTING IN PaLals DE FONTAINEBLEAU 





. To the memory of 


LLOYD WARREN 
SO FAITHFULLY IN THE CAUSE OF 
_ ARTISTIC EDUCATION 


_ and to promote — 


- 


-FRANCO~AMERICAN UNITY 








INTRODUCTION 


The art of fresco-painting has been neglected for so 
many years that any attempt to revive it should be 
hailed with gratitude and delight. For of all the 
metods of mural decoration, it is the one that most 
Successfully fulfills the difficult problem of painting on 
wall surfaces. It can and should be rapidly executed 
and, not only does it dry « flat », so that it can be seen 
from any angle and in any light, but it imparts an 
atmospheric quality, a texture and a surface thatmake 
it really form part of the wall upon which it ts painted. 

The author of this treatise has made an exhaustive 
study of the medium. A young man, he, like many 
another French man, did bis part nobly in the war, 
_ serving for twenty six months in the artillery until, 
in July 1916, he was wounded for the second time and 
lost one of his eves. After ten months in hospital, 
he was definitely reformed but, notwithstanding thts 
‘fact, joined the Y. M.C. A. and while tn it, met seve- 
ral American architects who induced him to come to 
America. This contact with Americans gave him 
great. pleasure and he has wished to keep tn touch with 
our eager young people. 









M. de Saint-Hubert bas kept close to bis art and ha 
executed some important commissions for the City 
Paris. He has too, in collaboration mith. bis Met 


Americans) in the newly created Fontainewome Schone 
of Fine Arts, where the atelier, with its rough stone 


ted to the work. In it, the students bave paintec 
fresco with the greatest enthusiasm and it ts they wh 






of the past, tt continues them. = 
ERNEST Paso 


LAPIS-LAZULI 


Six centuries ago, the Queen of Cyprus sent out to 
the Occident in a precious urn, together with a sunlit 
thought, a little bit of that precious and powerful blue 
of her country, that the painters grouped around Giotto 
might mingle its deep symbol in their artistic prayers, 
rising daily and clinging as it were to the vaulted roof 
of the High Church of St. Francis of Assisi. 

1 have often admired that little cut porphery vessel, 
wherein there still seems to remain the faintest trace of 
ultramarine : that precious blue jwhich has enchanted 
generation after generation. 

Admirably employed in those frescos, it vibrates 
before our eyes with the same power as of yore, as 
well as by the mysterious attraction of its inimitable 
substance. 










THE RENAISSANCE OF FRESCO PAINTING 


ITS PRACTICAL ADAPTATION TO THE ADORNMENT — 
OF MODERN CONSTRUCTION AS A DURABLE 
AND ECONOMICAL PROCESS 


Fresco paintig, | should like to focus, as ‘it were, 
ey sense of this artistic manner, obliterate alt co 


name « fresco » to many tempera paintings en 
plaster or dry mortar, and, ot ae 








oom | JF ~~ 


executed in almost identical manner, yet born in far dis- 
tant countries, each completely foreign to the other, 
arriving at length at the marvellous development of 
mural painting in France and Italy. Such a work 
would, among other things, serve to classify exactly 
the divers methods of painting, and though differen- 
tiating by a precise denomination would leave to the 
fresco its veritable character of decoration, which is: 
essentially mural, since, in reality, it must be executed 
there where it is to remain. _ 

Great art epochs about to flourish direct the great 
epochs of fresco painting ; harmony by simplicity, to 
wit, the prolonged study, deep reflection, complete 
conception in view of a rapid execution, which, because 
definite and irrevocable, must be a whole combined ot 
power and soberness. 

Numerous other considerations, which from the very 
beginning, impress the artist with the imperious neces- 
_ sity of executing his work with all rapidity ; in conse- 
quence finding himself face to face with his work, 
Knowing exactly what he wants to do, andin possession 
of all his means and necessities of execution. 

However, this long preparation ought not to discou- 
rage the beginner, but rather lead him on, progressi- 
vely, passing from deep technical analysis to the won- 
derful and powerful synthesis which, with the sober- 
ness of means of expression are the wo primordial qua- 
lities of fresco painting. 








Mages (ype 























Nor must the colour be forgotten ; that petrifaction — 
of tone which, placed on the fresh mortar, penetrates 
at the same time that it carbonates it, and finally 
emerges like the purest of coloured enamels, cloisonné, A 
as it were, in the thousand shapes of the objects repre- 
sented with the power of intense light that the dry x 
lime adds by transparency. And this no other mode of 
decoration, no other means of painting, can offer with bt 
any such force. : 

The superiority affirms itself in the study of the old 
masters, many of whom handled at different times both — 
fresco, oil, oregg painting. But it is noticeable that, 
when they employed fresco, they became SuORe and, 
therefore, greater. 

Far be it from me to criticize the « metier » or tate of 
oil painting. What I seek is rather to obtain for ‘the 
fresco the place that it always has occupied during the 
great Art periods. ae 

In France, the consciousness of this supeeanig has 
made enormous strides in the past few years, and 
every day sees this opinion growing. By 

Let us by our endeavours — and do yourselves. by 
availment of the American people’s marvellous power 
of adaptation and of « making good » — foster this 
‘revival of Beauty, Harmony, and Eye-delight. = 

For a long time, the practice of fresco painting fell | 
into disuse and its technique was almost lost. Unsuc- 
cessful efforts ofartists, though talented andenthusias- 





tic for this fine craft, gave rise to the utterly erroneous 
idea that fresco is unsuitable for damp countries. By 
repeated investigations, Victor Mottez was able to add 
valuable data to the meagre information we had regar- 
ding the old fresco painters! methods of execution. 
Lastly, my master Paul Baudoin, a pupil of Puvis de 
Chavannes, who was very fond of this art, was able, 
through stubborn and untiring efforts carried on during 
his whole lifetime, to pull aside the veil which ever 
since the Renaissance bafflingly concealed the secrets 
of fresco painting. At the time of hisearlier endeavours 
a large number of the Italian Primitives’ finest frescoes 
were still covered over with plaster or while paint 
under which Vasari had caused to be hidden in nume- 
rous churches, wonderful decorations considered as 
unworthy by contemporary prejudiced fashion. The 
walls of Santa Corce in Florence were whitewashed all 
over. My master chiefly made a point of studying and 
reviving pure craftmanship, so mighty in its sober- 
ness, as established by the Primitives and, above all, 
by Giotto. Some very important works carried out by 
himin Paris and in the French provinces are to this 
day as fresh as when made. 

No oil painting has been able to conserve, even after 
a less long existence, the exact colours which the 
artist created for it. They all seem to wear the amber 
veil of things of the past. . 

The petrification of the colour in a fresco, when the 


working, toward a common end : the plan of the e 


one an impression of space snl lighbs >. 











light. Ta 
Fresco painting flourisheb Won in Bish from : 


fice drawn by the architect, the stone placed by the . 
mason, the paintings which finally covered the ey 


spiritual directors of those great eboete 3 
But, « nothing is so refreshing », the head of a ? 






more deeply touched by this layman’s a 


of fresco painting, than I would have been by an 
enlightened artist’s most knowing compliments. 

Frescos attained complete flowering in Italy under 
Giotto and his pupils : Masaccio, Guirlandaio, Fra 
Angelico, Benozzo Gozzoli; then they died out but to 
be reborn, almost miraculously, by Raphael, Botticelli, 
before disappearing again beneath the artistic exube- 
rance without Faith, of the « Baroque Style ». 

Now that long endeavours and perseveringly repea- 
ted attempts have little by little at last recovered for us 
the old and pure technique of fresco painting, let us 
note how judiciously the old masters would modify 
their method of execution according to the places where 
they had to make a new work and take account as 
they did of the important influence exerted by climate 
and materials, the latter being always somewhat 
different as one moves from one region to an 
other. 

Myself, after having closely investigated and ultima- 
tely reconstituted the ancient formulae and tradition of 
this fine craft, have arrived at the definite conclusion 
that it requires adaptation to our modern ideas and 
needs. 

Fresco painting has revived. To restore it to life, 
we have had to get at its purest inmost fibers, that is 
to say, to go centuries back. We must graft deeply; 
for I feel that in order that it may develop or even just 
live on, we must adapt it to present-day needs and 








Fy 2 NRG 


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% Wruroeah your work and the earnestness ou 


RASKE 




















THE TECHNIQUE OF FRESCO PAINTING 


This is a preliminary outline of the process of the 
study of Fresco Painting and the knowledge | have gai- 
_ ned by long experience. 

I first wish to draw attention to the surface called 
upon to receive the mortar, that is to say the wall. 

It may be made of stone, millstone, even of bricks or 
tiles upon or of cement strengthened with iron bands. 

These walls usually covered with rough plaster 
should be pricked again and joints or seams laid bare 
whatever their composition may be; if in the process - 
of this work one finds holes filled up with rubbish 
inserted between the wall or even parts wide enough 
of plaster that it would be risky to take out, one ought 
to drive nails into the wood and the plaster, nails of 
galvanised iron with large heads or contrive iron stays 
after which one can place the mortar without the fear 
of seeing it loosen. 


1. If for'any cause whatsoever it is not possible to reprick the 
wall one must make use of parjet,a sort of very light mortar almost 
liquid that one throws on the wall by means of a small brush. 


3 













brush until the dete completely removed ast 
dust sa! harm the HADERIar of the coating. 


to place with the pick to brn about some 10 g 
so as to make the mortar cling more easily. . E 

The day before one intends to paint, wet tl 
repeatedly and abundantly, commence again 
morning before placing the mortar but in such 
to moisten the wall that one has to cover ok 


mortar does not cling well when it is ‘attra 
on the contrary can never receive enough. = 


parts of unequal level, when they do not “exc 
centimeters and the walls presents ic he 








AMERICAN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AT RHEIMS 


ENTRANCE HALL. PART OF THE DECORATION IN FRESCO 


(by R. La Montagne Saint-Hubert) 





i 
} 
| 


cae 


cheti » (1) which by its fluidity applies itself perfectly 
and penetrates the joints which*clasp as wedging. 

Take care to let the reloaded parts well dry before 
beginning the execution of the fresco namely from 
10 to 20 days according to the epoch of the year and 
the temperature; to neglect to take this precaution 
would bring about the risk of seeing appear afterward 
the efflorescence of lime on the fresco itself. 

Lime spots are often transitory but, as more often 
than not, they appear a year or more after the comple- 
tion of the work, grafting progressively in some way or 
other into the mortar as far asthe painted surface, chan- 
ging the appearance in a very marked way above all in 
the smooth parts. 

If one has to paint very large surfaces upon which 
the necessity of erected scaffolding have left holes of 
any kind stopped up with cement or mortar, one must 
foresee the shades, light or dark, that they may cause 

on the coating’ according to the colour. 

If it is impossible to wait until the holes are perfec- 
tly dry, it would be better to lay bare these holes and 
stop them up with rubbish of dry stone and then fill 
up the orifice with thin bricks with a light layer of 
cement in the joints which will dry quickly. Besides 


1. The « moucheti » kind of very diluted mortar composed of : 
1 part of hydraulic lime, 3 parts of sifted sand rather large or 1 part 
of cement and 2 parts of sand medium size. 









and the care used in its preparation, aking be 
ting, etc... 


ee 
Fs 4 ms 


the sand. ae 
Finally as one may well understand, the water r 
peice for the wal the mortar ane the ai 


Wi a4 ee mae ag 


NEE 








O ae to powder, the silica makes a pasteif thrown 
ater. One makes use of Pouzzolane mixte with heavy 


inna 















tion. The cement contains from 28 ae 40 0/0, its a 
is more rapid in the free air, in water, it acquires a hard- 
ness equal to rock of the strongest resistance. 


LIME SLAKING 


One slakes the lime by fusion. For this purpose, 0 en 


would destroy the whole reaction ; wait for the c 
plete cooling (2}. ; 

Lime obtained in this manner can be kept a ene ti : 
before being used. For this purpose cover it with a 


aS 


sufficiently thick layer of sand, old, it gives ne mortar ; 
more pliability. oe 





1. There exists heavy lime containing up to 200/o of magn: 
very appreciable quality as the grip is delayed accordingly, __ 

'y Hydraulic lime gains by being slaked with plenty of wa 
there is an increase of 1]5 of cohesion for the mortar, | heavy hi 
always doubles its volume in water, thin lime only gains ako 


— 23 — 


DRY SLAKING 


Dry slaking by immersion is what I recommend for 
heavy lime, there is an additional strength given to the 
mortar. Cemino Cennini described it in his « Work 
on Art ». 

For this operation break up the lime into small pieces 
and place it in a wicker basket which one then soaks 
in water for about half a minute, afterwards, spread out 
the small fragments on a marble slab. 

The lime whistles or hisses, bursts and falls into 
dust, afterwards pass it through a silk sieve, the finest 
possible (1). 

The action of sifting the lime is of the greatest 
importance for during the slaking there often forms 
what one may call unslaked fragments, that is to say 
_ small parts isolated from the action of the water and if 
they entered into the composition of the mortar, slaking 
afterwards progressively would bring about, in conse- 
quence, several months afterthe achievment of the work, 
the cracking of the mortar on the surface of the fresco. 

Watch carefully that while the mason is sifting the 
lime he avoids a bad habit of breaking the unslaked lime 
with his fingers and forcing it through the sieve; by 
far the wisest is to take it away entirely. 


1. The hydrate of lime thus obtained can still absorb a small 
- quantity of water, but without any rising of temperature. 




















once ae | 
The older the lime the better it will be for rhe fresco. 
Nevertheless, pay attention and isolate it from all da ot 
ness, for, then, the lime, carbonizing with the contact of 
air, forms granules more or less voluminous which — 
the capsule often resists during the working of the i 
mortar and this meeting of particles of lime on the sur- } 
face often brings about the entire destruction of the ; 
colour at this part. 


CoLours 


Fresco painting being, above all, a fresh and so d : 
matter, the choice of colours which may enter into its 
composition deserves to be studied no less carefully than | Ne 
that of the preparation of the mortar. One must, from : 
the very first, proscribe those, which not resisting well, : 
are susceptible to weaken too much or to disappear. . 
and only take products of absolute purity. Sn 

The best colours are those of earth or oxyd of ir iron 
which offer a large scale of shades going from yellow ‘ 
to brown and from delicate pink to the deepest rose, 
they are of perfect resistance, such as: “igs s 


Yellow ochre Venetian red 
Roman ochre Red ochre 
Raw Sienna Brow red 
Burnt Sienna  =§=Raw umber | 
Pouzzole red Burnt umber 


for blue. Pee 
Cobalt and real ultramarine, of perfect resistance but" ee 


* 






z 


olours, Ue as ; Cobalt Green, Chromate Green, 


wt ‘ f 

















require such bright colours, I may even say dazzling or 
gaudy, nor can it support great contrasts, the intensity 
of which would appear to make holes in the wall sthese fe 
bright colours should be judiciously used in very small - ‘ 
quantities, as a spice added to a dish that one desires. ‘ - 
to make more tasty, thus keeping to the fresco its cha ; . 
racter of high simplicity. | 


* 


PREPARATION OF THE MORTAR 


The mortar for Fresco painting is composed ‘ofa . 
parts sand and] part lime, the sand must be used mse 


ee y ees 

lously observing these precautions during the compo- 
sition of the mortar. It is in beating it ten times longer 
and vigorously with the trowel that one succeeds in 
making it supple and unctuous, pliable and agreeable 
to paint on and one, thus, avoids the risk of provoking 
cracks which during the desiccation are inevitably pro- 
duced on the places not firm enough. 

Do not neglect this matter, for, to obtain what the 
Ancients called a good soaking and to assure the per- 
fect conservation of the fresco, the artist will only have 
to paint on the mortar prepared in the morning, the 
remainder of the day at most, and sometimes during 
the Summer, in a very hot and dry place, the grip of - 
the mortar, being hastened, it will be well to begin the 
work as early as possible in the morning. 

The mortar mixed with a small quantity of water is 
of a Slower grip the Fresco Painter will therefore, have 
every interest to look after this matter. 

It is quite understood that the preparation of the 
mortar as well as that of the wall concerns the mason ; 
but the painter ought to know it in practice and theory, 
for, the masons capable of executing this work, properly, 
are few and far between, ‘the painter will find himself 
more often than not under the necessity of confronting 
ignorance or the ill-will of his workman, but thus 
material side will, naturally, not be displeasing to the 
artist who really loves his Art. 

Bringing the mortar to a state of butter might becon- 


OF t: 


— 2 — 


















sidered as completed but one must avoid using it im- i ie 
mediately. a : 
Fresh mortar must be placed in a cant and. dane : 
room, for example a cellar, if one can obtain one clean - : in £ 
enough, in preference in a corner, taking care to make Se : | 3 
a heap of it and then cover it with a damp tarpauline s x 
it can, thus, be kept rom 15 to 20 days according to he | 
season. = 
Each day, one takes enouhg away for the work to bes oN 
executed, one will be surprised at its hardness and dry- 
ness. | oe | 
To give it the necessary pliability, one must mix it 3 
firmly and, for some time, with the trowel but without : 
adding water. The longer it is mixed, the more unc- 
tuous it becomes, the water coming back to the Sea c 
when it had seemed to be quite evaporated. » 
The density of the sand has an equally great impor- 
tance for the preparation of the mortar which will be 
just as solid and resisting as the sand is large and 
mixed with heavy lime; for hydraulic lime or cement 
it is just the contrary, the finer the sand, the harder, the 
composition becomes. 
For work to be executed upon high arches or r lofty ‘: 
ceilings the best will be to take sand rather large and =i 
to spread with the « taloche » (1) imprinting a rotary. 
movement by compressing very strongly so that it will a 


1, Kind of a little board in wood with handle. 





— 29 — 


grip the wall and keep its granite aspect which will 
give more vibration and depth the painted surface which 
will be all the more agreeable. 

If the grain appears too salient it will suffice to pass 
lightly over with the trowel to flatten and press it down 


| lightly. For the vertical parts avoid too rough a mortar 


which offers too ready a place for dust and which would 
quickly lose its natural purity. 

Italian Frescoes are nearly all executed on fine and 
smooth mortar except high parts of those of Raphaél in 
the Stauze at the Vatican and which suffice to show in 
full evidence the superiority of the colour vibration pla- 
ced on a mortar lightly grained. 

This rugosity. of the surface permits the carbonic 
acid of the air to penetrate more deeply the layer ot 
mortar and renders it by this fact more resisting in 
thickness. It will be preferable to prepare it in this way 
for exterior decorations but taking care to give it a pre~ 
paratory coating. 

For work of restricted dimensions and likely to be 
seen closely one might attempt a light coating with a 
fine finish by means of the trowel, this kind of mortar 


_ takes up the tone with much less good will, but only 


long practice could teach anyone the manner of execu- 
ting such work in the most suitable way. 

Tf, as | have said the wall on which the fresco has to 
be executed presents hollows of about 5 centimeters 
having the night before applied a light coating, in the 


— 30 — 





















morning, the coating being dry one can go over it with 
a second coating made in advance and composed of fo 
1/3 heavy lime 2/3 of large sifted sand. ea 
This rough cast may have 2 centimeters at the rina ig 
mum; finally place the last coating that is to say 6m/m _ 2 
about of a mortar: prepared in the same proportion — 
with very finely sifted sand, taking care to press it ae 
firmly against the wall. . 
To be sure of a good application of mortar. on ah ae 
wall itis preferable to throw it with vivacity as the plas- 
ters do on aiming at stone joints and from distance to _ 
distance like a scale, in this way the mortar grips the ve 
wall much better one then returns with the « taloche » an 
to fill up the naked spaces applying the mortar in tur- . 
ning it. 7 
To make the mortar level, one fixes on the Ww : 
wooden or cement levelling laths over which the ruler s 
can glide with a movement commencing at the botto 
and going to the top and from right to left, showing th 
parts insufficiently covered and levelling the others. : 
Cennino Cennini indicates the means used by tt 
Ancients which consisted of applying the mortar wi 
the « buckler » by pressing very firmly on the wall al . 
by smoothing it afterwards with the trowel, giving t 
the marble aspect which so many of the old tresec Ss. 
POSSESS. . 
I have already expressed, as my own opinine on this. ‘a 
subject, that, if the necessity of subtility of a pats ott 





— 31 — 


composition, such as a child’s face, glittering surfa- 
ces, etc... imposed this exterior quality of mortar, one 
could obtain it but the piece once painted by means that 
Betticelli mentioned as having frequently used and which 
consists of rolling a bottle over the mortar pressing 
heavily on it, taking care however to isolate it by means 
of a sheet of white paper 


VERIFYING THE GOOD APPLICATION OF MORTAR 


As | already remarked, in consequence of defectuous 
preparation the mortar should fall off, it is the day of 


_its application on the wall or very soon after. It is easy 


to know if the grip is good, it suffices to give light 
tappings on all parts of the mortar, if they give a dull 
and equal sound it shows that the adherence is excel- 
lent, but a more sonorous sound signals a pocket, 
although it may be but slight, of imprisoned air. 

It is easy to make it disappear, the mortar being still 
fresh by pricking it in several places with a pin and pres- 
sing afterwards by means of the trowel when the air 
will escape and replace the mortar in contact with the 
wall. . 

If the coating is already dry and the pocket does not 
appear to have more than 20 c/m of surface, for example, 
one may leave it alone, but vaster, one must without 
hesitation repl<ce the piece. 


— 32 — 


2 Se 


PAINTING. — PRELIMINARY WORK 












Before attempting in detail the way of preparing the : 
colours and to any them on the mortar one must so 


day's work being definite one may fully nes 
that the Fresco must be well thought over and th 
roughly realized in imagination before atten 
execution of it. ; 


complete analysis : this will cunan the a 
number of drawings that the Old Masters have left: 
very advanced studies, often repeated with weak vai 
tions and which are to be found, at present, spr 
Pnfoushour. the museums of Europe and the Ay 


died eRREMCAE which proved the evident intention baa 


reproducing them on a large scale. pede! 
By observation, these drawings will indicated more. 











IN Paris 
by . Paul Baudoiiin. 


FRESCOES IN VAULTED ROOF OF THE ‘¢ PETIT 





a SH, 
than any words the indispensable character, of the pre- 
paratory work of fresco painting. 

Although not practicing exactly the same process as 
the Old Masters, {| must, most scrupulously, indicate in 
such a manner the advantages and show up the incon- 
veniences that their exact application would present par- 
ticularly in such a different epoch as ours is. 

Our sincerity will conduct us without any doubt to 
manifestations somewhat different, but which will do 
more for the future benefit of Fresco Painting, than to 
restrain oneself to the unchangeable repetition of dead 
things. 

Art throughout all epochs, feels the necessity, after 
periods of weakness, of more or less greater length in 
the most various branches, to enrich itself with new 
blood taken from a new civilization. 

Our civilization and the modern sense of our aspira- 
tions, contain all the power that should give theFre sco 
Painting a marvellous existence equal to that which it 
had at its greatest epochs, and the beautiful remains of 
which are dispersed all over the world, offer us the 
enjoyment and are a generous fomentation for our 
wish of a new opening. 

The Old Masters placed in scrupulous order the 
various materials, as well as a colour sketch, that they 
thought of using, sampled with the greatest care, 
applied the first roughcast which [| already mentioned, 
upon this rough cast, they traced the large lines of their 

3 








—34— 















trate. oe: 
This coulonr like cinabresi which is a derivative 


or restoration work have shown, the old rough 
allowed to be seen, as well as the line, a manne 
sketching in large masses of shade executed with 5 
same colour, a precious effort to better judge 
« volume and effect » of the composition, before 
decorative distribution of the « colourlines». AG 
On this completed sketch, they applied the surface 
of mortar corresponding to the presumed possibility 


1. This sinopite was passed over the rough-cast, simply pre D3 
with water, its nature of oxide of i iron offered a grip suihy 
the sketch. ies) 

2, At Ravenna, ina church partly destroyed by aeroplanes d 


to be by Giotto, but if not by him, surely of his school, ‘offer a 
examining the fragments of the broken parts, evidence of tw 
superposed mortars and each one of them covered with a pa ny 
offering the greatest similitude of shape but one, neue t I 
one traced entirely in camaieu. ead 





wenn ex 
the work for the day. The first sketch was of the 
greatest utility, for it served to confirm the exact cor- 
respondance of the parts to be successively added. 
A tracing taken hastily on the first sketch (that of the 
rough cast) on a drawing by scale, made by means of 
the sketch, was placed by making use of the registe- 
ring-points upon the mortar by means ofa metal point 
carefully sharpened and which left a distinct and clear 
tracing. | 

These tracing are to be found engraved on all ancient 
frescoes ; many others for example at Santa Croce at 
Florence, the head and certain parts of the body a per- 
sonage in an admirable scene, have been in the course 
of execution displaced lightly, by care of the artist also 
as bears witness the first engraved trace that one per- 
ceives a little outside or inside of the existing trace and 
left by the brush. 

The criticism that I bring to bear on this old tradition 
of rough-casting the wall, and the summary sketch 
made by means of colours simply diluted with water 
but that the rough-cast, already dry, absorbs no more 
and which, remaining on the surface will find itself 
absorbed by the definite mortar, impregnating even to 
colouring it in places with these colourations so las- 
ting, of oxide or iron. 

This is also the reason for which so many frescoes 
of this epoch have broken away from their rough-cast. 

To avoid this quantity of charcoal and colour, atta- 


) 
ban | 


Pisa have broken off. 


the cartoon a vet superior Be this cartoon ‘pre- 


sleet one will have : a care an ghaa several indicatio s 


‘the Old Masters had in the rough-cast tracing, 

















ching to the rough cast and also the lack of taetliag t 
draw upon the surfaces. Benozzo Gozzoli used abov 
all first-coating almost smooth, this will well explain 
why certain parts of his decorations of Campo Santo de ie 


The artists of the Renaissance, brought into v use with % 


Ny ‘, ne 


will be a precise direction on the point oF ie | 
colour all round, to the quality of the tone of the stone 
the wood work and material entering into the cons os 
truction and the decoration of this. architecture. | ba : 
Rectify the cartoon before taking it off the wall upot 


% 









vely after the part finished the day before. is 
These tracings are indispensable, and [| - ca ! 
impress them sufficiently for no longer having Ww 


might consequently have slight but successive err 


ay 
in the wedging, and so annoying that they would lead 
to the necessity of doing all over again, by pulling down 
the mortar. 

If the hall to be decorated offers the possibility, one 
will place the cartoon in proximity to the work, in such 
a way, that one may easily consult it for the general 
effect; for an arch déme or vaulted roof surface, it will 


_ be preferable to present it daily on the place, even on 


account of the deformation and the peculiar light of 
such surfaces. 7 | 
These precautions taken, one can transfer the tracing 
in the former way but for more delicacy and also 
more easily, if the line engraved in the mortar is not 
indispensable one will prick each line that one imprints 
on the mortar by means of a pounce containing a red, 
green or blue according to the principal colour of the 
panel that one has to execute. Red ochre or Venetian 
red if one wishes. 
Let the « poncif» (1) be very apparent, but I will 
indicate in preference and in general a mixture of: 
6 parts of Terra-Vert | 
1 part of burnt umber , 


which will leave on the mortar a well marked and neu- 


tral trace, an appreciable thing for delicate parts such 
as flesh, clouds horizon backgrounds. 3 
For the poncif with engraved line on fresh mortar I 


1. « Poncif » pattern for pouncing. 


aes ys io Ae rata eee ; Gas ae oe ey 
i ree Can ie ics re s ce 









mechanical, if one finds them everywhere. 
For the drawing of arches and ceilings, the aa 
line is the most Erect oi 


PREPARATION OF THE VARIOUS TONES 


i 


wish to mention colours, it is at this moment, in 
paring them vith special care, devoting enough ti 
to them, that one obtains a good result. ms 











me ray 
tity of tone that one judges will be enough for the whole 
of the work, taking care, however, to notice the com- 
position with the weight of each colour used so as to be 
able to make ‘more of the ‘same tone, and write the 
weight of it upon the lid of each box in which it will 
be kept; this precaution is indispensable because tones, 
once mixed with water, take a colour which it is diffi- 
cult to obtain again. 

The only remedy to an accident of this kind and 
which is always to be anticipated, consists of putting 
on a light brick or better still on afragment of smooth 
mortar, a stroke of the colour which remains at the 
bottom of the vase, then dry it in a warm oven and 
seek afterwards by comparison the first tone by means 
of the colours in powder; one will thus succeed in 
getting, as near as possible. 

Fach tone and scale of the same shade which 


ought to be preapred separately, put in a box by itself 


and number itso as to avoid all confusion which would 


quickly become an insoluble puzzle. 


‘Weshall very soon reach a respectable number of boxes 
each containing a different colour and having its own 
appointed place. Nevertheless, | would advise these 


_ be limited as much as possible. Use an equal num- 


ber of recipients either of glass or white china-ware, in 
which each colour is mixed with pure water. The 


quantity of water to be added to each mixture is 


very important but varies according to the nature of 








the colours used ; Sass is the beet gui 

Ultramarine, ret blues and Emeraude green req 
less water than the earths, in general, especially the. 
which very easily size the surtace of the mortar - 
they cover. This disadvantage is barely visible durin 
the execution, except to the very experienced eye, bu 
Bees very evident ya the OCT once ike , 





(J4agnH-JUIVS ausv]uoTyY V’T *Y Aq) 


QJNILNIVd OOSHYA ‘NOOU-AVId 


SNIAHY LV IVLIdSOH ‘IVINOWAJY NVOIMANY 








— Al — 


them rather wide and flat but alvays made of silky calf 
hair which is very soft and less costly than the sable, but 
certainly not which is so good as the latter which, mo- 
reover, should be utilised for making the line brushes 
which are indispensable in bringing out the contours 
or for certain detail requirements.. There are also pig 
silks, fairly soft, which are equally excellent. Another 
advantage possessed by calf or sable brushes is that 
they hold more colour and consequently speed up the 
work. To sumup; that which is most important to 
know is that the brush does not, on account of too stiff 
hair, damage the mortar when laying on the colours. 

The brush should, especially at the beginning of the 
work, pass over the surface of the mortar as a caress; 
in the evening, more rigid brushes present fewer disad- 
vantages, for the mortar has already undergone a slight 
hardening which gives its suface more resistance. . 
But, let us return tothe preparation ofthe shades. After 
having decided by a synthetic idea, the number of the 
colours to be put on the rough outline jthey are made 
up successively and according to relationship, as I may 
s1y. If the lack of experience does not allow the exact 
quantity of each colour for the ensemble work to be 
foreseen, it is advisable to weigh them while mixing 
them and writeanotedown. They canreproduce them 
in this way easily in an identical manner. 

Although this precaution may seem exaggerated, it 
will be seen that itis of the highest importance when 


.., 
LES ta 
at Ms 


co . 


as SORE eee to: gai gpk areit pk whe Aes! Wai eae aes. 
a9 j oS Sond ’ 
res GO ry ae 













dee ae 


me yh ere: 
Ras Se: , 





we come to patching, in which work that is spreadover 
two or three days has to appear absolutely the same ina 


amount of water a temporary precaution would © " 
‘taken, for the colour rapidly forms a deposit on 
bottom of the recipient and although it be well 
red every time that brush is dipped into it, the: 
Ketog up more water, Mus rapidly modifying thee e€ 






to this. Therefore, control carefully and riba 
quently, each colour employed so as to preserve it 











mixed, because some colours take more or len t 
to dissolve in water. If not, you will realize with. ) 
prise, the very noticeable changes in the same c | 
used at the beginning and the end of the day {A 
When the colours put on the mortar are dry, ther 
resume colour they possessed when in powder 
the addition of Nias uae cle if for one a 





wach FC 

rather porous white paper, a spot of the colour to be 
tested and expose it to the sun or some moderate arti- 
ficial heat. If the shade is too weak you should add 
colour, and water if itis too strong, but this operation 
Should always be carried out witk extremecare. To 
sum up : prepare the whole of your colours for your 
composition and in sufficient quantities, keeping them 
in powder, in boxes carefully closed and free from dust, 
only taking out, as required, the amount necessary for 
the work of a day, since the same colour cannot be 
utilised the following day when the quantity of water 
considered necessary has been added. | 

The drying of a fresco does not take place in a homo- 
genous manner. The lighttones, made up with plenty 
of lime, dry first and the dark ones, above all those 
which have been left free from lime in the mixing, are 
_ the last to reach their definite colouring ; for instance, 
the burnt sienna earths and burntumber. In addition, 
according to the season, the nature of the construc- 
tion, a damp place for example, several months and 
even a year may be necessary in order that the complete 
drying of the mortar or wall may render the exact sha- 
des to the colours. Ondry walls and during the warm 
season the drying process, although rapid, can easily 
require four to five weeks. Also the quality of the lime 
used has to be taken into account. 

Generally speaking, it is always preferable not to 
paint in fresco during very hot weather, for, as the 


— 44 — 






















ted and the mortar itself craks. Incase of necesst 
is advisable to shut up the room and to sprinkle water 
on the floor. Mild anddamp weather is much the best 
for carrying out an important piece of fresco work. — The > ‘ 
cartoon and colours being so prepared, it would be — 
wise before beginning to paint, to make sure of the 
piaper hardening of the mortar, for, if the colour | is 


more the lime still being on the surface by 7 a n 
of the trowel, a weakening of the colours vou b 
brought about. OS ae 
When the design has been traced on the jal oi 
means of the pouncing paper, put into the bowls” 
certain amount of the prepared colours and arrang 
them on a table. Make a separate note for each bor vl 
with some sort ef sign, Ar the shade it conta fore: 


a manner that you will be very quickly cone " 
Have at hand, also, a pail of very clean water, wh 


the brush every time you change to anothibe ae 
The best thing would be to have a separate je 


have, one ot them is prefered in carrying out. mos z 
of the work with the same brush. It is for this fear nae 


Ane Sa 
Go te 


Sh ap a a ' 
we 4 =, 
RS 


rt A 
the same way, do not neglect to wipe or press the 
brush between two fingers after each washing in order 
to squeeze out the water it contains ; because if this 
care is not taken it will gradually weaken the strength 
of the colour. 

Cennino Cennini, in a treatise on paintings tells 
how he arranged his colours : « In recipients, natural 
colour for instance with the light on the left, and three 
bowls each one provided with anumber in order to indi- 
cate its strength — shadow side the same disposition — 
finally one or more bowls for the reflections according 
to the composition, and the ground ‘shades. » 

_|It is always to your greatest interest. to strictly 
observe this arrangements. It is often indispensable 
when a big work is undertaken, when the scaffolding 
causes a lack of light, preventing the distinction between 
a light or a dark colour put in the recipients, other- 
wise, it will induce you in grave errors. 

After you have marked out your cartoon on the mor- 
tar by means of the pouncer, and before beginning to 
paint, you can intensify the design, correct it perhaps 
in places by means of a brush of sable hair, round and 
well thinned off, dipped in very fluid colours. To paint, 
begin by the shadows, which will rapidly give you a 
strengthened inipression of the effect and the volumes. 
Even the most obscur shade that you might use in 
fresco painting should always be weak enough to allow 
the mortar to show through, and it will only be by 





— sh: 












Always wait a certain inet of time before puting as 
on the second coat so that the first one shall have pene- — 
trated well, for you will run the risk of wea 


* the colours, make them run one into the ‘oth 
without diminishing the freshness. 
If the mortar, is too soft to take the same prepat ed 


harden a little while finishing the complete outing 
Personally, that is the manner in which I operate habi- 
tually, having found it the best. One is better able } i 
judge the effect immediately of the values by coveri ng 

once or twice, according to the fluidity of the shade an 
its respective colour, as I have already indicated. 


dry resumed the colour it possessed when in Bike 
but do not forget, however, that when a colour is | 





“on in a light coat it will always be altered after drying, 
by the shade of the mortar which it covers. What you 


should always avoid, when painting in fresco, is to put 
a light shade on a portion reserved to a shadow or vice 
versa. The possibility of a superposition of the shades 
is one of the most delicate things in the art of frescoes. 
I shall deal with this again later. It would appear that 
this error can be rectified by a rapid washing, but, when 


- dry, the place always shows up as a heavy and greasy 


looking discoloration. Thereis another way and that is 
to scrape with a small trowel, the surface of the mor- 
tar that has been covered, in error, with an incorrect 
shade, then smoot it off and leave it for a while be- 
fore treating it again ; but acertain experience is always 
required in this operation although it does not give to 
the mortar a grain as pureas before. The best would 
be to take out completely the defective mortar and to 
replace it by new mortar. Although this operation ap- 
pears to be a delicate one, it is easy and requires less 
time, giving a sure result. 

When you have put on one or two layers of colours 
on the ensemble of your work, you can model them 
by means of a brush rather wide and flat, either dry or 
slightly damped with the shade that you wish to mo- 
del. It is extremely difficult to say when you ought to 
devote yourself to this so delightful part of your work. 
Only the experience can advise you. The quality of 
the lime employed, the nature of the mortar, and the 











temperature are so many items that can cause this m 
ment to vary. Nevertheless, as a first remark, y ) 
will very quickly perceive that when a colour is passe ; 
over nue the second time; too soon, it tags or the first 


pare Staten every touch miles seems ae en 
into the wall and to model itself without the lig 
effort from the artist ».: ~ 


Q 


*JIOQnypy-jUlvs ausejuOW v7] *y ‘Aq 


*(AWAATIAGAIG anu “IOOHOS HOI) > SIUVd dO ALI) AHL YOR GHALNIAXS SHOOSAYH LNVLYOdWI AWOS AO LUVd 





pally 7 

rious intensity considerably affecting the ensemble. 
Besides, they appear to have been painted superficially. 
These last touches executed, at the end of the day on 
a mortar thatis almost dry and which no longer allows 
a complete penetration, diminish by so much, the 
lowering of the shade produced by the drying. It is 
therefore necessary to pay the greatest attention to this 
work of the last moment. If asmoother surface of the 
mortar is required, this can be obtained by the means 
that 1 have already described to you during the course 
of one of our previous lectures. | | 

I have told you to generally prepare a local shade for 
shadows and a local shade for lights with a half-tint 
for passages. The first shades, used very liquid, will 
perhaps lose their colour power in the drying but they 
will gain, by the transparency of the mortar, an extra- 
ordinary luminosity. Utilising this peculiarity, you 
‘ can, in a way, almost completely model an object, a 
drapery, land and certain parts of the nude in the light 
or shadow by using almost entirely the same shade, 
very liquid, which you put on a second time for the 
half-tints and a third time for the shadows. When 
dry, these shades, by the vibration of the fresco in the 
light,will appear different but at the same time present 
a perfect connection. By usingthis process, you can 
even reach an excellent and extremely rapid execution. 
In this method of execution, you will need to observe 
for each colour, how many times the number of the 

4 









marine or emeraude green, you will need to pass. 
the work, five or six times. For the earths, yello 
ocre, red ores, Ss all the iron Oe) a second ¢ coa 


Take good note ot the effect produced by ae 
for after a certain number of coating, the shade 







: o ae 
For rather extensive decorative portions and TOP bet ie 


S =. 

















rent by a light Sine: In this manner, I have — 
times obtained very interesting results with gr 
force. M 

No matter what process is employed, it sbaul 
remembered, to never Wen any intervals bebe 





Ted. a 
Cobalt and terra vert being fairly difficult to 





— 51 ean 


4 





composition. This formula certainly a ee 
for its feats have never satisfied me. A very homo- 


position up to acertain limit. [would 1 ‘ 
only speak to you about the essential means to oy U 


wi Pats 
thought of the decorative sense alone in the plan. 

I might even go so far as to say that the painter who 
is sufficiently well experienced and provided with a defi- 
nite gift can, withouf the aid of the pouncer, execute 
designs after nature, thus, providing a great diversity 
in the ensemble of the work. For thedecorationoftheir 
vases, the Greeks adopted this freehand execution as 
did all the Orientals, the Persians and Hindous. 

During the extremely hot days, you may possibly 
find yourself before a rather large stretch of mortar 
already somewhat dry and on which the colour that 
has been laid and that has been absorbed too rapidly 
will develop a certain hardness since it will not have 
had time to penetrate allover equally. Youshouldtake 
care to freshen the mortar before putting on the shades 
_ by spraying pure water as equally as possible over the 
whole of the portion not painted, in order to make sure 
that the colour will take evenly; but this simple expe- 
dient should only be employed in cases of real neces- 
_ sity, for the water draws the lime to the surface of the 
mortar and the colour put on afterwards are mixed and 
_ weakened during the drying. 

The best thing for the execution will be for you to 
always hasten to apply the first coat over the.whole of 
the mortar with colours as fluidas possible. They will 
slacken up the « taking » all the more at the same 
time preserving its freshness, 

When you would haveto execute a frescoin the open 







air, ae should eS accentuate the colours, a a 


Ay be maintained as much as possileand if nec Sal 


oe 




















PATCHINGS 





aa 







even the days following,« 4temperar »,to avoid breaking i. 
it down and recommencing a, portion that had 1 rema 
ned in the outline state. : 


os 


the sea etc... fort it is so “difficult to at B é 
patchings that the new mortar often overlaps,be it vel & 
so little, on to that of the day before. Trees, ee | 

and igs in the Meine oe are Pree 2a 


Diagonal or broken lines are always ee 
cuts that trace vertical or horizontal lines on the 








impossible to dissimurate in the composition. 
Having traced your cutting, it remains for y 


Side, with the trowel. Go to work very cautious 
as not to take away fragments from the other si 


(149QNH-JU1WS ausvjuopy VT *y Aq) 


ONI NOOU-ONINIG 





NIVd OOSHaA ~ 





SWIAHY LV IVLIGSOPR] IVINONAW NVOINANY 


SiS aera: 





the tracing. Then witha knife you can go along the 
cutting so as to make the edges perpendicular with the 
wall. 

I cannot advise you too strongly to carry out this 
Operation in the middle of the day. It is also possible 
to doso in the evening at the end of the task, although 
miore delicate but the following day when the mortar 
has already « taken » it would inevitably cause crackings 
on the surface. 

The following day, after having moistened the part 
of the wall up to the previous day’s work, several times, 
one can begin to put on the mortar following the con- 
tours but not without taking very great precautions in 
order not to pass the trowel over the parts already 
painted. This should be done by means of small suc- 
cessive coats which are delicately pushed along as far 
the cutting made the day before in order to rejoin the 
old mortar and to establish the fresh layer at the same 
level as that already laid on. 

You should always give indications on the wall or 
the rough casting as to the surface that the mason 
should cover with mortar the following day, exaggera- 
ting this somewnat in order that a clean cut may be 
made in full mortar. 

If, by accident, when painting, you touch a part pre- 
viously painted, do not be surprised if you see spots 
produced immediately. They will disappear in the 
long run during the final drying. 












effects. 


RETOUCHING 


It is. to be heh phe ee that I ine 


you to avoid at any rate and one which will 
happen to your work if you follow out very cal ¢ 
the instructions that I have successiyely given yc 
Retouchings have caused {the death of the be 


out a beautiful execution. 
i is suey, ever helen that a stat portion 












¥ folk of egg separated from the white, well beaten up, 
2 then mixed with ten times its own volume ot very pure 


: aways present. This ie canibe taken off tg poun- 
ve ding it in a bath of sulphuric ether mixed with water. 
‘This gives a white colorless precipitats. Watering 
down gives a substance that is more mat than the 
fresco. By adding the white of the egg to the mixture, 
| ‘a little brilliancy is obtained but the retouches made 
Et ‘in this way do not always last and often detach them - 
selves from the mortar in light flakes as is evident on 
i the greater part of the primitive Italian frescoes and even 


those ot the Renaissance. Carried out on an interior 







: ie ksi body with the mortar giving it at the same 
ae Pe an extreme resistance and soldering the molecules 














One cannot insist too much on the cece of aie 
all powers alert in the practising of this profession — 
which exacts all the human strength at the same time 
as the highest spiritual Sangh of a man and bce a 









will bring you, | am sure, new means better ce to e 
your pee ah your ects ee LY am pe & 








Sa aibas by the appropriate touch, by means of whic i 
your modern sense of adaptation cannot failto enrich it. — 





ty Ae 


TO GOLDEN CERTAIN PARTS OF MORTAR 


If you want to have a smooth surface,as the one pre- 
pared by the primitives for the aureola of Saints, or 
even in relief for arms, jewels or certain parts of clo- 


thing ; prepare liquid plaster and cover with it the part 


tobe goldened. Ifyou desire a surface, in relief, spread 
progressively several coats of plaster till a sufficien 


_ thickness. The next day, after the drying of the plastert 


pounce it very carefully, in rounding the edges if the 
surface is in relief. 

When the surface to be goldened is very smooth, 
cover it with turkish red and medium siccative. When 
this preparation is almost dry, put on the golden sheet 
with most care, in slightly covering the edges of the 
preceding gold sheet with the follwing one. 

You can, also, golden directly on the mortar; its 
rough surface, gives the gold, a vibration particuliar and 
of the most charming aspect. 

Gold applied, in this way, lasts for ever. 









TRAVEL NOTES 


eae a 


love for this fine Bree on a man who, aun ‘ 
wholeof his existence studied and searched for, v i hou 
ever tiring, the secrets of painting in ee /icte | 
Mottez. a 






repeated study of the ancient masters in yet ing 
have conveyed to me and the SOS that hh, ek 


meer. 



















them to you without the slightest didactic sentiment 
and still less as an ideal orientation. In art, liberty, 
 aboveall, is the powerful genius that we should adore. 

_ In each one of you there is a fruitful germ, the origina- 
so - lity of which should be respected as the most precious 
thing, I offer you rather, these scattered notes born of 
6% ae unforeseen in the admiration of immortal works and 
_ if one day, asI am sure, you hope to do, you are per- 
q “mitted to find yourselves before these masterpieces, if 
sal recollection of these impressions comes back to 


a “ ‘Phe frescoes that have survived in erate in spite 
_ Of the injuries of time, appear before us without any 
_ retouching whatsoever. The indifference of several 





: artist has been able to give differently for edchi one. 
Bente Madeleine, Beye co be toreotten with her ee 






birds pass by and children on the ground play ae | 
their ingenuousness. Itis the equilibrium of nature and — 
itis also a moving contrast. On the other side are Sain 
Martha and Saint John, also marvellous on account of 








themselves. Allis thought out, Be desi ed 
without its aPPRAtnB SO. 


Saint Antonin Chapel entirely covered with frescoes — 
« Thechoirof angels », XIV thcentury treated as a tapes 
try —harmonyinthree colours, put onin gradations — 
violet red, greenishblue and grey — each angel is placed 
on acloud the harmonious contours of which are cut 
out like lace with its festoons turned back in turn offe- 
ring a diversity of colouring thatis more vivid on the 
inside. 

This decorative ensemble by its sobriety of colouring 
spreads a penetrating charm in the chapeland seems like 
SO many pieces of stained glass in the ogives of the 
walls. 

In the greater part of these XIV th century French 
frescoes, the subject. in a way, disappears and the 
artist has placed all the interest in the composition of 


_ the coloured parts, in the harmony of the colours, the 


tracing of the lines always with a predominancy and © 
finally everything is so well understood and imagined 
that it does not seem possible to do away with the 
slightest particle. 

I have recently seen the Italian frescoes ; | wanted to 
assure myself as to their state of preservation but I also 
wanted, by along and minute observation, to determine 
the restorations and retouchings carried out at different 
periods and, unfortunately, too often still in our own 
days. 

Certainly the intention was excellent, but the means 
employed were very often far distant from those em- 

5 





i" oa Sie. Ww S * Beare € wu 
PRED OS ets UNE an aR A Ee, 
4 OE Sa Spa 2 














ployed by theancientmasters. I have even seen, d | 
the course of restorations that were being carried ou: 
in the Chapel of Sta Croce in Florence, certain colours — 
being utilised of which the chemical cones wow Id 


Amongst all the retouches that certain frescoe: 
undergone the most disastrous was the encaustic. 


into the mortar, having given a heavy look t 
colours ; moreover, this brilliancy that the enc: 
has given to the surface, by reflecting the light 
the windows, no longer allows the compo aa 
seen in its cdueged 


waxed and appear to be a bastard painting ' 


charm and without purity. re 
The painters of antiquity pane on stucco ot ; 


\ oR ieee 





ne Oy 
































xm ; - single piece, they did their fresco painting just as ong 
as the wall remained damp, and if, on account of the 
- size of the work, they were not able to do more than 
_ the outline, they finished the task on the dry wall with 
thick touches of colours prepared with wax. In the 
‘places where the retouchings have fallen away, the 
_ fresco appears with its design traced with hollow lines 
on the fresh mortar. 

_ The Italians, instead of retouching with wax, made 
p their own retouches either with milk or with egg. In 
" Italy,there are,above all, three towns in which there are 
the most beautiful frescoes it is possible to admire 
ae Assisi-Florence-Pisa (and Rome of course). 

Giotto, in its ensemble, is the richest and the most 
varied also, but, above, all he is the most impartial 
Observer of nature and its synthetic translator who, of 
all others is the one who approaches the nearest to our 
_ modern sense of art by movement and bylight. Of all 
the great decorators, he is the first to have expressed 
freshness in the High lights and reflected in the warm 
shadows. He banished completely all black from the 
_ flesh and hair. — The faces havea locality of pinky white 
or brownish white modelled in two shades. The sha- 
dows have always a very soft value which creates that 
impression of youth and serenity which is conveyed by 
all his works. 

_____ Vigour in the groundwork is always established in 
co his Boris or by the clothing of a personage. Finally 


att, 


Pars o 
i x 


7 w oy ie) oe \ a 
* A He Be tay ei ee 
iat A A he VAS ny 
F SNE 











red which was them called Sinopia,but forthe i 
Ido not think that one could imagine a greater ie 





of fatigue. 
The old Sele have i us an ne OF desig r 







approach their conception in the realisation of | thi 
works as near as possible. These multiple studie put 
them in the position of seeing their work in imagi 12- 

tion, even in the ‘smallest details, that they were able 
 tocarry out these pieces of work at which we > m: ve 


a day. 





— 69 — 

Taddeo Gaddi, in the church of Santa Croce at Flo- 
rence shows us easily in his large fresco, « Constan- 
tine Carrying the Cross », immense pieces made 
from.the morning to the evening: in one place three 
heads, three draped figures in the foreground and 
which are slightly bigger than life size, form another 
piece ; a great part of the country scene with two 
horses cut off in the centre form another alk this in 
life size and of a perfect finish; this fresco is made up 
of 15 to 18 parts, that is to say so many days’ work. 
In the Vatican in the « Burning of Bourg » by Raphael, 
24 parts, he therefore took 24 days to carry out this 


huge composition. The sizeof the parts explains the © 


multiplicity of these master’s works and one remains 
astonished that this did not affect the perfection of 
their execution. 

In Masaccio also, the whites and blacks are only in 
the garments, never in the shadows, they are light and 
very localised, the flesh shades are brilliant. All the 
draperies of the personages are in one piece. The 
pieces of work in which the heads are portraits, are not 
so big, however in « Saint-Pierre reviving a child » a 
piece of work is to be seen containing eight heads and 
two hands. His seams only rarely follow the contours 
as is done in the primitives, whilst, for preference, 
Raphael made them come into a fold in the clothing, 
land or architecture. 

The ancients search very much in order to find the 


me LN 













bey 


exact relationship between the shadows Sand the h 
lights. Giotto and the Angelico possessed admir. t 
this secret ; _ they generally outlined with a Re) 













high ae shadows and reflections. 
The fresco only allows the use of a limited 1 number 


to’s great principals is to never allow more iat 
shades to dominate in the decoration ; hence t 
impression of power which is brought by the sobri 
ty. Indeed, the quantity of equal values destroys 
harmony. nthe big ribs of the vaulting in the 
church, red and white are predominant to such 























erie Alege 


At the Vatican, Raphael, although he conformed him- 
Self to the ancient processes, has painted in a broader 
‘manner. His generous and softened high lights seem 
5 to be made of real matter. The outlines, both in the 
high lights and the shadows, are frank and broad, and 
the passages are always of fresh green semi-tints. 

> But Raphael was already suffering from the « chiaro- 
‘ -scuro » which was developing and whichcreated a new 
period of art. He went over the outline again with 
earth for shadows which, put on as glacis or in hat- 
-chings, led him to obtain a very great vigour and 
finish. This vigour was a condition of the day, one de- 
plores it when onesees the brilliancy and lightness of the 
parts which have not received theseglacis. «The flight 
of St. Peter »,« The Mass of Bolsene » for instance, 
~ which are carried out in asimpler and franker manner, 
are certainly his finest pieces of work and arethe purest 
‘in the fresco sense. On these subjects, which are pla- _ 
ced above or on each side of the windows, a too great 
‘vigour would have led him to black. Certain heads 
‘ in’ the « Last supper dispute » which have been left in 
the outline state and without this glacis of umber-earth 
“possess anincomparable fineness. If Raphael madean 
abuse of these glacis, one cannot condemn him enti- 
rely; this umber earth is besides, an extremely useful 
=~ eolour and one which gives very fine greenish brown 
é = _ shades, when used alone. Light umbers and those 
coloured by redssuch as Giotto used, have more Peay 












—72— 
and richness ; however, Raphael, although he per i ‘ 
tioned the shape and made it more refined, preserved 

the qualities of the primitives both for colour and har- _ 
mony. His shade relations are just and his passage ‘ : 
are delicate. 


Ua Rae OUT ney strong emotion a u a 


which it migth be dangerous to follow. Mone 
this art is a reflection of a period that nothing, an 
cause to be revived. BS © 

From a purely technical point of view, the mat i 
of the frescoes in the vaultings is very fine but the « 
tance prevents a detailed observation. As for the onl 
one that it is possible for us to see close ‘i « The La 










When Michel Angelo began the ee 
metine eee he had never cous anys can 





hot 13 

he destroyed their work afterwards and commenced 
the marvellous ensemble in which, above everythings 
else, the sculptur and architect appeared. For the 
figures, in the vaulting, the mortar is fine and smooth. 

One cannot determine exactly his method of painting 
but the execution is marvellous in its liberty and senti- 
ment. The perpetual anxiety of his artist’s soul can 
be read in the final form which is often remote from 


_ the lines engraved in the fresh mortar. 


One can say that Michel Angelo has painted his 
frescoes in the same way that he undertook his work 
inmarble, with the same dash. This took him to the 
base of a statue as the « slave » only outlining the feet 
the by colour in theblock remaining just sufficient as a 
pedestal for the figure. 

Mysterious profession! the dominant colours are- 
for the faces silver grey andred ; reddish greys or gree- 
nish greys for the shadows, the whole being reinforced 


by a powerful feature underlining this inimitable com- 


prehension of the form and gesture: to cover the en- 
semble with draperies intense reds and blues, greens 
and often also warm pinks, mauve blues almost pale. 

As Giotto has formulated it, one finds, in Michel 
Angelo, the principle of the coloration of the high 
lights, this manner of powerfuf expression and deco- 
rative unity, only utilising colour to accentuate what 
he wants to say. 

Botticelli has been able to leave in several frescoes, 
















— 14 — : 
| with the beauty of a perfect technique,an artof ore 3 
ginality in which the expression of naive youth 
See te mlugled with the refinement of his ; ay 


bly Ste ; to their can of art, oa 
profession, there is added the immediate and pow 
evidence of the fresco which, by the harmony o 
colours and material with the stone or marble, 
defined, in an immortal manner, the ee techn U 
tor mural decorations. ; 





_ my hopes. 
During my stay in the United States, | have 
admired at Ae EDs: 


foundations of generous donors. | believe that Hk 
only country in the world where that is ‘oe 








the good application of the mortar. 
7 Preliminary work..........-+.. 


technique of fresco painting. AEE ee 
“aes PALE a Heeb 9S x S50 <a.n/0 9 8 «9% 9's, 0 6 6 08s 


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